STORY: :: A huge crowd hopes to be among the first passengers on Vietnam’s first metro line after years of delays
:: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
:: December 22, 2024
:: Huynh Thi Be, Passenger
“I have another grandkid who was very young when I told her that I would take her on this metro once it starts operations, but she is already in university now.”
After 17 years of planning and 12 years of construction, the line was finally completed at a cost of over $1.7 billion, more than double the initial projected cost of $668 million.
Ho Chi Minh residents who rode the train for the first time on Sunday were excited that the line was finally opened after the long delay.
The Vietnamese government hopes the metro line will encourage motorists to switch to public transport and in turn help alleviate the severe traffic congestion which plagues the city.
Rides on the metro line will be free during the first month of operation. Vietnam plans to construct a further six metro lines in Ho Chi Minh City.
